Monday, July 3, 2006

A few weeks ago, I noticed the presence of Canadian built CH-146 Griffon (Bell-412) helicopters in the Iranian military inventory.

First, I wondered how they got to Iran, a country that has been under military embargo since the fall of the late Shah of Iran in 1979, but later I realized how the regime acquired these aircrafts.

In the first picture, you'd be able to see a Bell 412 helicopter, in the background, owned by the Iranian oil company but in the second and third pictures you can clearly see them in the Iranian military camo. And the third one shows that it is now being used to transport VIPs.

My sources told me that 12 of these aircrafts were ordered by the Shah's government in 1978 to Bell company, but the revolution of 1979 didn't let Bell to sell them to the new regime and in 1989 Bell Textron company moved its headquarters and factory to Canada. In early 1990s, Iranians could buy them from Canada directly and they were shipped in an An-124 Ruslan to Tehran.

What is disturbing is the fact that civilian aircrafts acquired by the Iranian government are now serving as Military machines. This is a simple example of why the west shouldn't trust the Iranian regime at all. Now imagine if the western countries agree to give them civilian nuclear reactors or technology, and after couple of years pictures of nuclear war-heads emerge in the media.

@Winston,Iranian Bell 214 (nickname Isfahan) are not purchased from Canada.That helicopter is a Bell 214 which Canada manufactures under license from Bell/Textron USA. In mid 70s Iran got the License From Bell/Textron to partially manufacture and assemble 214 and country made more than 400 helicopters before fall of Shah and continues doing so under what they call Revers Engineering (Piracy term for illegal copying) There'r some differences between Griffon and Iranian 214 main one is the engine which Canada uses Canadian made Pratt & Whitney PT6T Turbo-Shaft engines and Original Iranian 214s were equipped with Lycoming T55-L-11 and nowadays they are buying Turbo-shaft engines from Russia. Just a reminder I thought you might want to know.